The Lion King: The Legend of Leo
by Heroboy005
Summary: Nala finds a living human baby in the remains of a crashed airplane and takes him back to Pride Rock. Although he lets him stay, Simba doesn't accept him as a son. As the child, named Leo, grows into a teenager and later an adult, he strives to find his place in the pride and ends up going on many great adventures while doing so. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The sun shined brightly over the expanding blue sky of the Pride Lands. It had been over two months since Scar was dethroned by Simba and killed by his own hyena henchmen, and the Pride Lands were recovering nicely from when the hyenas wreck it. Animals weren't scared or frightened anymore, the grass and trees started growing a clean green color, and the grayish colored sky had started to become blue again.

Queen Nala, Simba's mate and Queen of the Pride Lands, was out for a morning prowl. Her mate was away on business with a group of elephants who were arguing about eating from a fruit tree and she was getting restless, so she decided to go for a walk around the pride lands.

Nala was only a month pregnant with her cub and she wanted to get out and around for a little bit before her stomach started swelling from the growing cub inside her. Although she could still move when that happened, she couldn't run or do anything active for a while.

Nala climbed on top of a rock on a large hill and surveyed the landscape. Over in one direction were the outlands, where the lions loyal to Scar were banished when Simba took over. In another direction was the stretched out plains and a large forest that took up a small part of the pride lands. The forest was like a maze and it was hard to get through. If you could get through it, it would lead to the outside of the Pride Lands.

Nala climbed down from the rock and began going near the forest, spying a lone gazelle that had wandered away from the herd. Feeling a twinge of hunger, Nala crouched down low in the tall grass and began making her way to the gazelle, slowly. When she got close enough, she began running at the gazelle, roaring.

The gazelle, hearing a roar and seeing the lioness approaching him at a great speed, began running into the dense forest with Nala at his heels. Nala jumped over fallen trees that been knocked down during a storm, branches, bushes, and the other residue of the forest in order to catch the gazelle.

However, she paused when she heard a faint wailing noise and that short pause sent her headfirst into a tree while the gazelle bounded away. Nala shook her head and recovered from the crash. She was about to continue the chase when she heard the wailing noise again. "It has to be a bird or an animal…" she thought to herself. "But what if it needs help?"

She began making her way towards the wailing noise and, after pushing through some bushes, came to a large clearing within the forest.

And right in the middle of the forest was the charred remains of… something. It was narrow shaped and large, bigger than an elephant, and was colored a silver color with a long red stripe on the side. It had several holes in its side and black charring all over it. It used to have wings, but now it was missing them. The middle of it was split in half.

The wailing noise subsided and Nala walked towards the large thing slowly. When she got close to it, she sniffed. It didn't smell like anything on the savannah, and it definitely was living. It smelt hard smelling and burnt. Nala went into one of the halves of the thing and went to the head of it. It smelled of rotten and burning flesh and in the head was a bunch of little round dials and buttons. It also had two U shaped things on the left and right of a large black thing the buttons were on.

Also in the head were two… Man! Nala backed up a little bit in surprise but then came forward when realizing they were dead. The bodies were charred and their flesh was rotting away. They both were males, and were dressed in Airplane pilot uniforms.

Apparently, Nala was inside the crashed remains of a plane and the two corpses were the pilots. But there was no sign of the passengers. The wailing began again and Nala turned around; It was coming from the other halve of the plane.

Nala walked into the other halve of the plane, climbing over torn up suitcases and passenger chairs that were unhinged from the crash.

She then saw a small lump moving in a suitcase underneath a women's coat. The wailing was coming from the small lump. Nala pushed the small lump with her nose, but that caused the wailing to intensify. Nala then closed her teeth on the fabric of the coat and pulled it off carefully.

The wailing was coming from… A man cub! Or what was called a baby, in the human's tongue. The small, naked, hairless thing stopped wailing and looked up at the lioness with big inquisitive eyes.

Nala didn't know what to think of the small thing. She hadn't seen humans before, but had heard the tales from her parents and grandparents. She was told that the humans once came to Pride Rock and tried to take the Pride Lands, but a fever swept through the lands and they died out and left (Nala's grandparents called that a punishment for disrupting the circle of life).

Nala began nuzzling the baby curiously, which began giggling. Nala pulled back in surprise, but then continue nuzzling it. The small baby, who was a boy, giggled and reached out with one of its tiny hands and touched Nala's muzzle. She licked its small hand and then began licking it, which sent it into another uncontrollable gale of squeaky laughter. Nala didn't understand why her grandparents showed great disdain towards these humans. In her opinon, they were cute when they were like this.

But then Nala stopped and became serious. She knew that this small little baby boy would not survive out in the wild like this. He was bound to be picked off by a predator and eaten if he left the plane, and he would probably die of starvation. She would have to take it with her. But then she remembered that after the outsiders left, Simba didn't like anything coming into their pride. "Maybe he'll make an exception…" Nala thought. "He wouldn't let a cute little man-cub wander around like this…"

One thing lions could do was carry their young without breaking their skin and that's how Nala carried the young baby. She clamped her teeth gently around the skin of the baby's neck and began carrying him out of the plane. Now there were the two tasks of getting him back to pride rock and getting Simba to let her keep him.

…

Nala came out of the plane and began heading through the forest the way she came. She climbed carefully over the trees and bushes, trying her best not to damage the baby she carried with her mouth. She then heard a noise of a twig snapping and stopped. She set the baby down on the ground gently and got into the defensive stance of a mother lioness protecting her cubs.

"Relax, will ya?" a crass and sarcastic sounding voice spoke. "It's only me."

Nala located the source of the voice and its owner came out of the bushes.

The owner of the voice was a large male lion. He almost looked like Simba. The lion's fur colored was a pale tan color, his mane was black as coal, his eyes were yellow and they danced with sarcasm and hatred.

Nala let a growl lose from her throat. She knew who this lion was: His name was Braun. He was a rogue that was hated by both the Pride Landers and the Outsiders. He loved to encourage the feud between the two sides, so he snuck around both sides of the landscape, collecting secrets from both sides and then trading them for his own purposes. He also, for some reason, had a crush on Nala and would spend his time trailing her, to her annoyance.

"What do you want, Braun?" Nala asked as a hint of anger came into her voice.

"You're a real beautiful Lioness, Nala." Braun replied, his voice sounding crass. "Simba's a real lucky lion to have you as his mate… but enough with the romance for now. I believe that's my prey you are standing over."

Nala growled defensively and stood over the man cub, which hid behind her leg in fright. "You're not touching him!"

"You know, that large silver thing you were at fell out of the sky a couple of days ago…" Braun continued. "It had a bunch of those men and women, as they are called, in it. It must have eaten them or something, because they came spilling out…" he chuckled darkly and began walking around Nala. "Too bad that they didn't know they were walking into my trap… Boy, were they delicious! And they way they scream! Talk about loud!"

Nala was mad at him then she ever had been. The baby's parents were gone thanks to Braun. "You're a monster…" she said quietly and angrily.

"Well what would you do if you were hungry?" Braun asked, his voice having no trait of repentance or remorse. "You would have done the same thing if you were in the same place. Isn't that what your great circle of life is about?" He then started shouting. "You hear this Mufasa?! I'm calling you out on your stinking circle of life religion! Go spend your eternity in the darkness!"

Nala let out a roar of anger, causing Braun to quiet down and the man-cub to start crying. Braun smiled. "Don't worry, my love." He said towards Nala, who gave him a look of hatred. "I won't be eating your precious cargo yet… but when he gets old enough, I'll harvest him like I harvest the older wildebeests… See you later."

Nala kept an eye on Braun as he began walking through the forest until he went out of her sight. Nala then went back to the baby, who was crying in fear. "Shh…" she gently shushed, nuzzling him to calm him down. "It's okay…" she said softly. "I won't let him hurt you…"

When the baby had calmed down, she picked him up and began carrying him again. She then headed towards Pride Rock.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The sun was setting and the sky was turning pink as Nala arrived at Pride Rock with the baby. When she arrived, she was met by the duo of Timon and Pumbaa, and several lionesses. The lioness crowded around Nala, asking questions about her and the baby. Some of the lioness commented that the baby was cute; some commented that Simba was not going to be happy when he found out.

"That's a Man-Cub? Looks like a hairless rat with no tail!" Timon commented on the baby's appearance.

"You mean like you, Timon?" Pumbaa asked nonchalantly. The lionesses began laughing and Nala had to keep herself from laughing and dropping the baby.

"If you hadn't noticed, Pumbaa, I have hair and a tail! And I'm not a rat!" Timon grumbled. "I'm a meerkat! Though there was a rat on my Uncle Max's side of the family though he could have been adopted…"

Nala set the baby down on the ground. "Yes, Timon…" she said, laughing now that she was able to. "This is a Man-Cub."

Timon went over to the baby, who sat on the ground instead of crawling over. He tried to grab Timon, but Timon backed up quickly. "I got more dignity than to become the plaything to some man-cub." He said quickly as he backed up.

Pumbaa, being the friendly one, went over and sniffed the small baby. The baby hugged his snout, earning an "Aww" from some of the lionesses. "Hey Timon!" Pumbaa spoke as Timon watched with a grim look on his face. "This kid ain't all that bad! He's pretty friendly!"

"Yeah?" Timon asked, suddenly looking worried and pointing in a direction. "Tell that to him!"

They looked in the direction he was pointing and saw Simba walking towards them being followed by Rafiki. The lionesses pulled back in respect for their king and Pumbaa wriggled his snout free from the baby, who looked upset.

Simba and Rafiki approached Nala. Simba looked down at the baby, who was now toying with Nala's tail. "Where did you find it?" he finally asked, his tone somewhat concerned.

"I found him at the forest. Apparently something fell from the sky with him and other humans in it." Nala replied. "They're gone, though."

"What happened?" Simba asked.

"Braun…" Nala replied gravely. "He got to the humans and slaughtered them… He would have killed the man-cub too if I hadn't come…"

Simba looked down at the small man-cub and then at Nala. "You know that I don't want you adopting every orphan creature that we come upon into our Pride." He reminded her. "What if he grows up and tries to destroy us?"

"He's not like them. He's not the humans that my grandparents and your grandparents talked about." Nala replied silently. "I know there's good in him… Please, let me keep him. He'll die out there if I don't take care of him… Please…"

Simba paused and thought about it for a moment until Rafiki tapped him on the shoulder. "May I speak with de king?" he asked. He and Simba turned around and began talking in silence. Nala looked down at the baby, who was now inspecting her paws. The baby, aside from being hairless, had peach colored skin and watery blue eyes. He seemed to have a cheery demeanor, though almost every young thing beginning its life seemed to have that.

After a while, Simba and Rafiki came back. Simba sighed. "After some careful consideration…" he paused. "I will let him stay…"

Nala smiled and nuzzled her mate affectionately, which Simba returned. "Thank you…" she said as she nuzzled Simba. She then went over to the baby and nuzzled him affectionately, which caused the baby to start giggling again.

"But…" Simba spoke, becoming serious. "I said that he could stay… but he is no lion and will probably never be one… so that does not make him my son…"

Nala stopped nuzzling the baby and watched as Simba went inside while the other lionesses went their own ways. Pumbaa and Rafiki went down the path away from Pride Rock, each going to their homes. Timon was about to follow Pumbaa but paused for a moment. "So, whatcha plan on calling him?" he asked.

"Well…" Nala looked at the baby. "I'm gonna call him… Leo."

"Leo…" Timon spoke thoughtfully. "Well, he's your baby or whatever." He then ran after Pumbaa as Nala picked up the baby and went into the cave.

…

Braun walked along the barren planes of the outlands. "Alright, things to do on my agenda." He spoke with a grim comedy in his voice. "I already mauled the antelope and zebra, so now I got my assigned appointment to keep with the outlanders."

He kept walking along the barren landscape until he reached a large termite mound that was as big as a castle. Outside the castle, several outlanders spent their time fighting, digging, scratching themselves for termites, or other activites to keep them from getting bored.

Braun walked towards the door and a scrawny young male lion cub came up to him and made a menacing face towards him. "What do you want?" he growled.

"That's not nice…" Braun spoke in a patronizing tone towards the young lion cub. "Mommy's not going to be very happy when she finds out you were being mean to a guest… Where's your mother, Nuka?"

"What's it to you?" The young lion cub replied. Braun snarled and the young cub caved in like a coward.

"Okay!" he said fearfully, pressing himself to the ground. "She's in the lower section of the mound… but she's giving birth right now. You can't go down there!"

"Oh please…" Braun muttered, stepping over Nuka. He started going down into the lower sections with Nuka following fearfully and trying to convince him not to go in. But Braun continued through the mound, earning several snarls and glares from the outlanders, whose hospitality was never warm.

Braun came to the final chamber and heard growling and moaning coming from the leader of the outlanders; a lioness by the name of Zira, who was one of Scar's zealots. Braun marched right in and was met with snarls from Zira, who was lying on the ground, her face contorted into pain. When she saw Braun standing there, her expression turned into anger and she tried to get up to face him, but fell back down due to the fact she was giving birth to a cub right now. "Who let you come in here?!" she half-growled, half-roared, hurting from the pain of giving birth to a cub.

"I let myself in." Braun chuckled smugly. "Your son is not exactly Simba when it comes to bravery."

"How dare you come in here when I'm giving birth and mock me by mentioning the name of my enemy!" Zira roared, letting out another pain-filled roar as she dug her paws into the ground.

"Need a paw?" Braun continued smugly. Zira wanted to show him up, but the pain was unbearable and none of her outlanders could help her.

"Yes!" she replied. "Yes! Help me!"

Braun chuckled lightly and began helping her through the birthing process. Pretty soon, Zira had a newborn lion cub between her paws and was cleaning it proudly.

"Congratulations…" Braun continued, his voice sounding smug. "It's a girl. I personally was hoping it was a boy."

Zira looked up at him; her anger had faded a small bit. "Now what is it that you want?" she asked, picking up the newborn lion cub and passing her off to one of her fellow outlanders.

"I came to announce that Queen Nala has adopted a new child." Braun announced with mock pride.

"WHAT?!" Zira roared.

"It's true. She found a man-cub near the ruins of some large beast that fell from the sky." Braun continued. "The metal beast had humans in it… and they were pretty delicious. Unfortunately, they hid that man-cub pretty well, because I didn't see it. I came back to the carcass of the beast to find more humans, but Nala had gotten there first and claimed the man-cub as her own…"

Zira growled and got up, now recovering her strength from the birthing and walking around. "This is a setback in my plans…" she muttered. "If Queen Nala has a new child, he could become the king of the pride lands." When she realized what she said, she let out a cruel laugh. "Imagine that! The pride lands ruled by a human! They already tried to take over it once, but now they're trying again!"

Braun smiled and bowed with mock chivalry. "I just came to tell you that, my good lioness." He spoke. "If only there was something in it for me…"

Zira looked back at him. "Sorry, dear traitor." She replied, walking up to him and smiled with cruelty. "We don't have anything to offer you. And if you are wise, you will leave before we tear you to shreds!"

"You would do that, wouldn't you?" Braun laughed. "You outlanders would kill anybody that requests so little… but okay. I'll go. I know when to quit." Braun began walking away while Zira followed him to make sure he would leave. When Braun went out of the mound, Zira went back to tending her newborn cub.

Braun walked out into the outlands and back at the termite mound. He looked and saw Nuka bullying a younger cub with brown fur. "Kovu…" Braun muttered as his voice became as quiet as a whisper. He knew all about the young cub that was being bullied. His mother had died when he was born and he was adopted by Zira, who decided to raise him to be Scar's heir. Braun thought it was a dumb idea and almost lost his life when he told his opinon to Zira.

"Zira births the first cub to be born out of the Pride Lands and Kovu is the last to be born before they were forced out…" Braun muttered to himself. "I have a feeling something is going to happen…"

Braun looked around the outlands. "This place gives me the creeps…" he muttered as he began a full run out of there.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The sky started becoming a deep dark blue color as night fell. With the moon and their stars as the only light, the lions went into the main den of Pride Rock and started settling down to sleep.

Simba sighed. He was upset because the next day, Rafiki was going to tell the pride lands about the new child, and that meant a presentation. When the presentation occurred, he would have to stand up in front of all the Pride Lands and act like he was proud of his new son. He would be proud if his son was a lion cub and not a man-cub.

He looked over at his mate, who was sleeping peacefully with the man cub. The man cub was sleeping in the warm parts of her fur and Nala was curled up around him. It bothered Simba that this man-cub would probably replace the cub that Nala was pregnant with… But there was one way that he could get rid of the man-cub. It mattered on what the ghost of his father, Mufasa, would think. Would he accept a human into the Pride?

Simba gave it more thought and then when he was too tired to think anymore, he went to sleep.

….

The next day came and Rafiki climbed out onto the top of his tree. He whispered in the wind about how Leo was found and how he was to be presented. The wind carried his message and it went all over the Pride Lands that the Presentation was going to be the next day. All the animals prepared themselves to come and celebrate the adoption of the new prince.

…..

The next morning after that, as the sun rose over the crimson red sky, all the animals began gathering at the base of Pride Rock. At the entrance near Pride Rock, Rafiki took Leo from the paws of his adopted mother and began walking to the Pride Rock point. He saw the face of Mufasa sitting in the clouds and raised Leo into the air to for all the animals of the Pride Lands to see.

The animals began cheering and bellowing in celebration of seeing the new prince; they didn't care if he was a human or a lion, they were glad that he was now a part of the Pride Lands. Mufasa blew a gentle, comforting wind on the small child, Simba, and Nala.

After a few seconds of holding the child up, Rafiki brought the child back to Nala. He picked up a mango, busted it open, and put some mango juice on his fingers. " _Mei wafalme wakuu wa zamu uliopita zaidi na kukupa nguvu na ujuzi unahitaji kuishi wakati wewe kukua._ " Rafiki prayed in Swahili before he swiped the mango juice over the man-cub's forehead. He then took some of the sand and sprinkled it on the baby, causing him to sneeze a small bit.

Nala nuzzled her new child proudly while Simba watched, his smile somewhat fading from his face. His father accepted the Man-Cub, which meant that he was staying. There was nothing he could do about it.

"What am I going to do?" he wondered in his mind and in his heart.

…

A few months later, Nala would give birth to a female cub named Kiara. She was born with a golden pelt like her father, and friendly yellow eyes with brown pupils. When she first encountered her adopted older brother, they instantly became the best of friends with each other. And when she was presented, Simba couldn't have been any prouder. Though, deep in Simba's heart, he wished that the Man-Cub would leave and then it would just be his daughter that he could take care of.

….

 _7 Years Later…_

Leo and Kiara both grew fast in the 7 years that passed. As Leo grew, he began gaining knowledge on how to survive, and he learned it all at a very young age. He learned how to make traps to catch animals, how to climb trees for fruit, how to look for grubs (you can probably guess who taught him that), how to make fire and use it for cooking, and (surprisingly) how to sow and make clothing out of the hide of the different animals that the lions had killed and brought in.

Little did Leo or Kiara know that they were being constantly watched by the spying eyes of Braun, who watched from different areas where he could not be seen, such as the tall grass on the savannah. He had been planning on hunting and eating Leo when he had the chance, but it seemed to fail every time he went after him.

Braun was either chased off by a group of Pride Rock lionesses who spotted him, attacked by a swarm of angry bees that he accidently fell into, and he was even foiled by the duo of the meerkat and warthog, who didn't even know he was there when they accidently sent a large log rolling down a hill while looking for grubs. It ran into Braun and ended up rolling over him. Luckily, it didn't kill him, but he was definitely sore for a while.

So, deciding that the circle of life was working against him, he spent most of his time watching on the Man-Cub and his lion sister. Personally, he rather succeed in hunting and eating the Man-Cub.

….

One day, Nala was the last to awake in the morning. She got up, yawned, and then looked to where she thought Leo was sleeping; but there was no sign of him. Usually he would be sleeping alongside her, but he had disappeared. She then began to get worried. "Leo?" she said worriedly, wondering if something came and kidnapped him. "Leo?!"

Suddenly, there was the playful yell of a child and Nala was tackled and knocked to the ground by someone. Nala was at first shocked by this. However, when she realized who tackled her, she began laughing.

"Boy did I scare you Mom!" said 7-year-old Leo, who was lying on the back of his lioness mother. Leo had grown into a thin young boy with long, shaggy black hair that grew like a lion's mane. The only article of clothing he wore were a pair of shorts that were made of wildebeest hide.

"Leo…" Nala chuckled warmly, getting up and causing him to fall off her. "You're getting too big for that. And besides, you really shouldn't do that with me. It's more of something that you should do with your father."

"I would…" Leo replied, getting up. "But you know Pa. He's not exactly one to have with fun with me."

"Give him some time. He'll get around to it…" said Nala. She then licked her son on the cheek affectionately, almost like a good morning kiss.

"Yeah… Probably." Leo muttered. "Hey, have you seen Kiara? We're gonna go explore the Pride Lands together!"

"I'm coming, Leo!" a cheerful voice yelled. Leo turned to see his adopted sister rushing towards him with a playful look on her face. "You ready to go?" she said excitedly as she stopped at his feet.

"You bet!" Leo replied. He turned to Nala and gave her a quick hug around her neck. "See you later Mom. Love you!"

"Love you too." Nala replied, watching as Leo and his sister bounded out of the main chamber of Pride Rock.

….

"Wow!" Kiara said in amazement as she looked over the landscape of the Pride Lands.

"I know, right?!" Leo said excitedly. "All of this wide open space to run and play! By the way… Race ya! Last one off Pride Rock is a hyena!"

"First one there has to be eaten!" Kiara replied as she and Leo started scampering down Pride Rock, only to be stopped by Simba.

"Whoa! Where are you two off to in such a hurry?" Simba asked, grabbing his daughter with his large paw. Leo stopped and began giggling as Kiara tried to get pass her father.

"Daddy!" Kiara giggled, trying to get free from her father's grasp as he placed her down at his feet. "Let go!"

"Well, I want you be careful." said Simba. He noticed Kiara was fooling around with a butterfly instead of listening and stepped on her tail gently to stop her. "Kiara, you need to be careful. You get hurt-"

"Hurt or stepped on or even get lost." Kiara finished for her father. It was a habit she had; she had heard the speeches Simba made so many times that she couldn't help but copy him. "How come I get a lecture and Leo doesn't?"

"Leo's different." Simba replied. He looked over at Leo, who was scratching his head out of boredom.

"Even though I'm different, I'm still part of the Pride, right?" Leo asked.

"Yes, my son, you are still one of us." said Nala, coming out of the den. She looked over at her daughter. "And you, young lady, need to mind your father."

Kiara smiled shyly and replied, "Yes Mom."

"And stay away from the outlands." Simba continued. "There's always trouble there."

"Correct sire…" said Simba's majordomo: a hornbill by the name of Zazu. He glided over and landed next to Kiara to speak to her. "Nothing but a bunch of backstabbing murderous animals out there. They simply cannot be trusted."

"Zazu's right." Simba continued as Zazu took off in flight. "You can't trust them or turn your back on them."

"Really?" Leo asked, now interested in the conversation. "How come?"

Simba sighed. "You two will understand it later." He replied, dismissing the topic. "Run along now."

"Dad…" said Kiara as she playfully rolled her eyes. She rubbed up against her father's front legs in an affectionate way and then bounded off down Pride Rock. Leo walked toward Simba with his arms extended, but Simba didn't do anything.

"Kiara gets to rub up against you and I can't hug you, Pa?" Leo asked in good-nature.

Simba's eyes narrowed a small bit. "Right…" Leo spoke as he dropped his arms and became serious. "Well, I'm going after Kiara." After he said that, Leo began running down Pride Rock after his sister.

"Stay on the path that I marked for both of you!" Simba called after him.

"We will!" Leo yelled as he ran off to catch up with his lioness sister.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A little bit later, Leo ran out into the tall grass, calling out Kiara's name and looking for her. He somewhat hated it when she ran off without him, but he loved the fact that she was probably going to try pouncing on him. The thing he loved most is that she wasn't very good at it, so that meant he could get her whenever she tried it.

Speaking of which, Leo heard rustling in the grass and childish growling coming from it. He grinned, got down on his knees, and pretended like he was looking at something. The rustling of grass and childish growling got closer and closer until-

"YAA!" Kiara roared playfully as she jumped out to knock Leo down.

Leo dodged out of the way and his lioness sister hit the ground, rolling over on her back in the process. Leo got up quickly and crouched over her, pinning her to the ground.

"So, you thought you could sneak up on me, huh?" Leo asked lightheartedly. "Well, I don't like that. And it's clear that you need to work on your pouncing abilities."

"My pouncing abilities are good and you know it, Leo!" said Kiara, struggling to get free as he grasped her arms. "And if my paws could open and close like yours, you wouldn't be pinning me!"

Leo laughed and let his sister loose.

"I guess you can just called me 'blessed'." He replied, striking a pose. "And your pouncing skills aren't that great!"

"Yes, they are!" she argued back.

"Oh yeah?" said Leo. He turned around and saw a blue and gold butterfly sitting on a rock, absently minding its own business. He pointed to it and said, "If you can pounce on that butterfly and bring it back to me, I will let you pounce on me whenever you want."

"Really?" asked Kiara, looking somewhat surprised.

"Yep." replied Leo, smirking haughtily. "I will sit down, in plain view of you, and let you ram into me."

"You're on!" said Kiara with a grin. She crouched down and began moving slowly towards the butterfly. Leo sat down with a smirk and watched the whole show.

"The mighty hunter has cornered her prey…" Kiara said quietly, staring at the butterfly that was about two feet away from here. She let out a quiet childish growl and then jumped at it. However, the butterfly flew out of the way quickly and she missed, landing on the rock.

"Told ya!" Leo spoke, running up beside her.

Kiara gave him a stormy look and then something else caught her attention. About a mile or so was a land that was cut off by a river between it. This land had no grass and the trees there were dying. It was the Outlands, where many enemies were banished, away from the Pride Lands.

"Whoa…" said Kiara, climbing on the rock to get a better look.

"What?" asked Leo, who climbed up beside her. He then saw it. "Oh wow! The Outlands!" He sat down on the rock beside her.

"I wonder what's out there." Kiara spoke aloud.

"How about we go down and see for ourselves?" Leo said excitedly.

"Are you kidding? If Dad found out, he would have a fit!"

"Oh, come on! They won't know. Besides, we're not going down into all of it. We're just going down to the edge of it. That's a whole lot different than going into all of it!"

"Yeah, but what if we encounter hyenas, or outlanders?" asked Kiara.

"Come on Kiara," said Leo. "Where's your sense of adventure?!"

While they were talking, something was coming through the grass towards them. However, the man-cub and lion cub didn't notice it until it was close to them.

"Wait!" said Leo quickly. They both stopped talking and the grass stopped rustling. "What was that?"

"What was what?" asked Kiara.

"The grass was rustling. There's something moving in it."

They both stopped talking and got down low, thinking it was the lion with the black mane. They saw him once being chased away by the lionesses of their pride, and when they asked about him, they said that he was watching them.

They watched the grass near the small pond underneath the rocks, waiting for the lion to show. But he didn't. The grass stopped rustling. They waited for a minute before a voice behind them asked, "What are you hiding from?"

"We're hiding from-" Leo was about to say. But when he turned around, Pumbaa was standing behind him so close that they could have touched nose to snout. Timon sat on top of Pumbaa's head.

Being a brave kid filled with the courage of a lion, Leo let out a yell of fright. "AHH!"

Pumbaa and Timon responded with their own yells and then Kiara joined in on the chorus. She tried to jump back, but she ended up falling backwards off the rock and into the small pond.

Pumbaa, Timon, and Leo stopped screaming and looked over the edge.

"Hang on Kiara!" Pumbaa yelled, backing up. "Uncle Pumbaa's coming!"

He then jumped off the rocks and landed into the water, splashing some onto Leo and Timon.

"Oh man!" Leo said in shock.

"Oh no!" Timon spoke. He looked around nervously, trying to think of what he would say to Simba when he came back. He turned to Leo and said, "Gee Simba, the good news is, we found your daughter and son. Bad news is, we dropped a warthog on your daughter. You aren't exactly angry about that, are you?"

Playing along, Leo replied in a mock tone of authority, "Why no, I'm actually pretty fine with that. But considering the fact you killed my only real child, I'm gonna eat you both alive and leave nothing behind."

"Very funny…" replied Timon as a cloudy look crowded his face.

The two of them peeked over the edge where Pumbaa was sitting in the water with a confused look on his face. Several small bubbles of air were erupting from below him. "Kiara?" he asked worriedly. "Kiara? Where are you?!"

"Pumbaa!" Timon yelled down to the warthog. "Let me define 'BABYSITTING'!"

Pumbaa gave him an inquisitive look, which caused Leo to yell, "Dude! You're sitting on her!"

Realizing what he was doing, Pumbaa jumped up and backed away. Kiara came up, coughing and sputtering. When she stopped, she looked at Pumbaa with a cloudy look.

"Sorry…" said Pumbaa, who shrugged. Then he and Kiara got out of the pond.

Leo and Timon leaped down from the rock. "You okay?" Leo asked as Kiara was shaking herself dry.

"Yeah, I'm good." She replied, still taking in her breath.

"Now Princess Kiara, as Simba's daughter, you cannot be doing things like that!" Pumbaa spoke. "You could've gotten hurt!"

"Hurt!" Timon yelled. He quickly got on Kiara's back. "Simba would kill us if you got hurt! You didn't slip a disc, did you?"

Kiara was about to say something when Timon moved to her forehead. "Catch a fever?" he said as he felt her forehead. He then moved down to her paw to examine it. "Get a hangnail?"

"Timon!" said Kiara, pulling her paw away.

"I had one once, and it was excruciatingly painful." Timon spoke as he bent down and picked up a palm branch. He put it over Kiara's head. "Darling, with your fair complexion, you should stay out of the sun!" Kiara swatted the branch away. "What? You want to get a wrinkle?"

"Why don't you guys do this to Leo?" Kiara asked, somewhat annoyed by their antics.

"He's a different case." Timon replied. "He can take care of himself."

"Yeah…" Leo muttered. "That's the excuse Pa uses to show how much he worries about me; He won't even call me a Prince."

"Well, you're not exactly a lion." said Pumbaa. "You were-"

"I know, I know, I know." Leo replied, putting his hand up to stop Pumbaa. "I was born in the carcass of some strange beast that fell from the sky. Mom found me and brought me back… Look, even though I'm not a lion, I am a something."

"Well, what are you then?" asked Pumbaa.

"I…" Leo was about to speak, and then paused. He never really thought about it.

"Well, while your finding your identity, let's eat!" Timon spoke as he and Pumbaa went near a log. Pumbaa lifted it and Timon produced a leaf that was covered in bugs. "Grubs!"

"The other white meat!" said Pumbaa, dropping the log.

"And so high in protein!"

"Eww!" Kiara recoiled in disgust and hid behind Leo. "Gross!"

"Yeah… that was Simba's reaction when he first saw me eat." said Timon. "How about you Leo?"

"Nah, I'm good." Leo replied, backing away. "I ate grubs was 3 and have regretted it ever since."

Timon turned to Pumbaa and offered it to him, who was more than happy to eat some. He took a bite out of one, and then spat it back onto the leaf.

"Ah, man!" Timon groaned. "You take a bite out of one and then put it back! That's driving me crazy!"

"Yeah, but you can't find the really slimy ones!" replied Pumbaa.

"Slimy?! Pumbaa, my corpulent compadre, it's the crunchy ones that make the meal!"

"No, it's the slimy!"

"Crunchy!"

"Slimy!"

"Crunchy!"

"Less filling!"

"Tastes Good!"

"Less filling!"

"Tastes Good!"

The meerkat and warthog duo argued away with Kiara and Leo watching.

"So…" said Leo. "Watch them argue or explore the outlands?"

"Outlands." Kiara replied.

And with that, the two ran away from the warthog and meerkat. Little did the lion cub and man cub know that they were about to meet somebody… Somebody who would change their lives forever.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Leo and Kiara ran across a log that led from the Pride Lands to the outlands, giggling to themselves about how they escaped Timon and Pumbaa. They stopped giggling when they got to the edge of the outlands and stood in amazement at how desecrated it was. The land was a dark, dull purplish color, the air was somewhat misty, and the sky was an ugly grey.

"You know that elephant graveyard story our parents told us?" Kiara asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the atmosphere of the area.

"Yeah? The one where they went in as cubs and grandfather had to save them?" Leo replied with a question.

"Yeah. Do you think that the elephant graveyard was like this?"

"Probably. Except there aren't any bones around here… We should probably be careful around this area. I feel like someone or something is in this place."

Kiara nodded in agreement as Leo climbed down and began to look around. She was about to follow when she tripped over and fell off the rock, bumping into somebody.

The person she bumped into, who Leo failed to take notice of, was a male lion cub. He was older than Kiara by a few years and had brown fur, green eyes, and a black tuft of a growing mane on his head.

Leo turned around and, seeing the male lion cub jump up and let out a small roar, let out a noise of fright. Kiara gasped and moved back.

"Who are you, Pride Lander?" the young lion cub growled, his voice filled with hate.

Kiara began backing towards Leo, not turning her back on the male lion cub. Even when he was trying to scare her off, she didn't turn her back on him.

"What are you doing?" the cub asked, no longer sounding hateful.

"My father told me never to turn my back on an outlander!" Kiara replied, trying to sound brave.

"Do you always do what 'Daddy' says?" the cub asked mockingly.

"No!"

"Bet you do! I Bet you are daddy's little girl!" the cub laughed haughtily.

He then turned his attention toward Leo and asked, "And what are you supposed to be, because you sure as heck aren't a lion!"

"I'm…" Leo started, but then paused. "Different. But still, the Pride accepts me for who I am, even though I'm not all-lion."

"That's ridiculous!" said the cub, who then walked out onto a piece of oddly colored land. "The outlanders were thrown out of the Pride Lands for being different! Luckily, we have our wits and skill to survive!"

"Really?" asked Kiara, who was now interested. She followed the cub onto the piece of land. Leo was about to follow, but when his bare foot touched the land, something in his head said, "Doesn't this feel like that dead crocodile that the lionesses brought in once?"

Leo slowly looked down and saw the land had a pair of hatred-filled eyeballs staring at him! He jumped back and yelled to his sister and the cub, "Get out of there! Those are crocodiles!"

The cub and Kiara looked down and the ground started moving. They both let out a yell of fright and began running for their lives! Leo followed suit by going back the way that he and Kiara came. He then perched on a ledge and watched Kiara and the cub jump on crocodiles and run on them like they were logs.

Kiara jumped into a tree and hung there while the cub ran past her.

"Hey!" she yelled. "What are you doing?"

"I'll distract them!" The cub replied, dodging the snapping mouth of a crocodile. He then landed on a crocodile that rolled him off and into the murky water. A crocodile then started swimming towards him with a hungry look on his face.

"Look out!" Kiara yelled. The cub then tried to climb up onto a ledge of land, to no avail. He then let out a yell of fear as the croc's jaws opened and… smashed down hard on nothing but air, as Leo had leapt off the ledge and onto the croc's head.

"Move!" Leo yelled, gouging a croc in the eye. Kiara leapt on Leo's back and they ran across the crocodiles with the cub in tow. The three of them climbed up and were about to enter the Pride Lands, when a croc snagged Leo's foot. Leo yelled in pain and threw Kiara off his back and into the Pride Lands. He then turned around and smacked the crocodile hard in its snout, causing it to roar in pain and let go.

Leo then climbed up onto the Pride Lands and lied down on his back, panting hard. His leg had tooth marks that dug in deep in it and it was bleeding.

Kiara and the cub looked at Leo, and then looked over the edge at the plethora of angry crocodiles that were trying to climb up and get them, but couldn't because the land was too high for them to climb.

"We did it…" Kiara said quietly. She then yelled in triumph, "We did it!" And then, just for good measure, she blew a raspberry at the crocodiles.

She and the cub both laughed at that. "Man, that was so amazing!" Kiara said excitedly. "They were all 'Rah!' and we were all like 'Whoa!' and they tried to kill us. And then Leo jumped on one's head and smashed it in! And you…" She looked at the cub, who was now looking somewhat nervous. "You were so brave!"

The cub's appearance brightened. "Yeah?" he asked. "Well, you and your friend were brave too."

"Thanks…" Kiara said brightly.

"Yeah, thanks…" Leo replied, clutching his leg and trying to stop the blood.

"Leo!" Kiara said, now noticing the blood on his leg. She ran over to him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Leo replied, trying to get up but then sitting back down. "That croc that caught me had some sharp teeth…"

"So, his name's Leo?" asked the cub. "What's your name?"

"I'm Kiara." Kiara replied playfully. "And your name?"

"Kovu." The cub replied.

"Well, now that we all know each other…" said Leo. "Me and Kiara have to get back home. Our parents might be worried and-"

Suddenly, Simba burst out of the bushes, roaring at Kovu. Kovu, Kiara, and Leo jumped back, somewhat shocked by this. Suddenly, another lioness came out of the bushes, roaring with the same ferocity at Simba.

"Zira…" Simba growled.

"Simba!" the lioness roared in anger. She was about to pounce on him when Nala, two other lionesses, and Timon and Pumbaa came forth. Braun came out of the bushes behind Zira and stood behind her.

"Nala…" Braun said slyly.

"Braun…" Nala growled.

"Timon…" Timon said as he pointed to himself. "Pumbaa…" he pointed to Pumbaa. "Great. Now that we all know each other… GET OUT OF OUR PRIDE LANDS!"

"Your Pride Lands?!" Zira yelled in fury. She roared at Timon and Pumbaa, causing them to retreat a small distance.

Simba turned his attention towards Braun. "What are you doing in the Pride Lands, Traitor?!" he said angrily.

"Don't hurt me, oh great king of the Pride Lands!" Braun said in a bitter and sarcastic tone. "I'm only here because I love a confrontation. Especially when it involves an attractive lioness like your mate!" Braun looked at Nala and licked his chops, like he was eyeing a wildebeest. Nala returned that with a fierce and angry look.

Simba growled and looked like was about to attack, but Braun stopped him. "You know just as well as I do that you wouldn't break your code of honor." He said in a mock-innocent tone. "If I harm nobody from Pride Rock, you cannot touch me."

Simba let out a low growl of anger at the grimly smiling lion. Then he turned his attention to Zira.

"You were banished with the other outsiders!" he said fiercely. "You and your cub don't belong here!"

"My cub?" Zira asked angrily. She then turned attention to Kovu. "Ah…" she hissed, letting a hiding vicious grin creep up on her face. "I guess you haven't met Kovu. He's going to be the next in line for the throne."

Kiara and Leo looked at each other in perplexment, and then at Kovu, who now looked small and scared.

Timon sputtered his lips and said, "That's not a king! That's a fuzzy maraca!"

"Kovu, was the last born before we moved to the Pride Lands!" Zira growled. Her face and voice then turned a little bit sad, but she still had viciousness in her tone. "Where we have little water and little food…"

Simba wasn't budging though. He said, "You know what the law is for outlanders who trespass into the Pride Lands!"

"Hate to interrupt, but I will!" said Braun, a somewhat dark look on his face. "The law goes for Pride Landers, too. And I happened to see your daughter and step-son roaming around a couple minutes ago."

"That's right, Braun!" said Zira, a cruel smile forming over her lips. "An eye for eye… But," she then slid Kovu over in front of Simba. "If you want your pound of flesh… here."

Simba looked down upon the whimpering cub, his eyes filled with hatred towards the Out Landers. Leo and Kiara sat there, hoping that Simba wouldn't slaughter the poor kid before their eyes.

"Take him and go…" Simba spoke, turning away from Kovu. "We'll forget this ever happened…"

Zira and Braun looked at each other and smiled; They knew Simba wasn't going to kill an innocent cub. Zira then, not quite gently, picked up Kovu in her jaws while Braun ran off.

Simba picked up Kiara by the back of her neck while Leo hobbled over to his mother and leaned on her for support. The Pridelanders then began walking away.

"Bye…" Kiara said silently and sadly.

"Bye…" Kovu replied with the same silence and sadness.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As the day ended and the sun started to set, the Pridelanders were slowly made their way back to Pride Rock. Timon and Pumbaa were leading the pack while the two lionesses that came with Nala were in the middle. Simba and Nala brought up the rear, with Simba holding Kiara and Leo hobbling along and holding onto his mother for support.

Simba then stopped and put Kiara down on a rock. "Leave Nala…" he spoke. "I want to speak with Kiara and Leo alone…"

Nala looked at her son and nodded once. Leo returned the nod and then hobbled over to the rock where Kiara was sitting. Nala went back to Pride Rock.

Simba looked down on his children as Leo looked around nervously and Kiara tried a grinning tactic that her father and mother once did when they were younger. The tactic didn't work, so Kiara stopped.

"Alright…" said Simba. "Whose idea was it?"

Kiara was about to say something when Leo spoke up. "It was my fault, Pa. We were playing, and I saw the Outlands. I convinced Kiara to go down there with me, and that's how I got hurt… I'm sorry."

"You could've been killed!" Simba replied, not angry but worried. "You disobeyed me and put Kiara in danger!"

"But pa…" said Leo. "I was…"

"The rule was that you aren't allowed to go into the Outlands! You're not even supposed to go near it!"

"I know, I know…" said Leo, putting his hands up defensively. "But I am sorry for what I've done…"

Simba paused for a few seconds, then he said, "You are forgiven… You may head back to Pride Rock… I want to talk with Kiara alone."

Leo nodded and then headed for Pride Rock. Simba watched him leave till he was out sight, then he turned his attention to his daughter.

"I was my fault too, daddy." said Kiara. "I followed him."

"That was wrong of you to do, Kiara." replied Simba. "Think of what could've happened if those Outlanders got ahold of you!"

"But daddy… Why do you have to be like this?"

"I'm like this because I love you. If I wasn't a good parent, I wouldn't be worried… One day, I won't be here. And you'll have to become queen of the Pride Lands. It's all part of…"

"…The circle of life." repeated Kiara. "I know, I've heard you speak about it before. But what about Leo? What will happen to him?"

"He'll find his own path…" Simba responded. "It's his destiny and not yours, however."

"But what if I don't want to be a queen?" Kiara grumbled.

"That's like saying you don't want to be a lion." Simba said, this time gently. "It's in your blood. It's what you have to do."

Kiara responded by turning her back and grunting a reply. Simba then gently pushed her off the rock, causing her to fall a small bit. Kiara, somewhat shocked, looked up at him and saw him smile a sly grin. Kiara's expression turned to a smile as her father began to lead her through the Pride Lands, ready to teach her about being a leader.

….

Somewhere in the Outlands, Braun walked among the outlanders as they fought, dug around, and scratched themselves for termites. He was being followed by Nuka, who had grown into a thin and wiry looking lion.

"Kovu, Kovu, Kovu…" Nuka muttered sarcastically as he walked beside Braun. "Scar wasn't even his father. I should have been the chosen one…"

"Well, you win and lose sometimes, Nuka." Braun replied. "You can't always be the hero."

"I know that, you fool…" Nuka said bitterly. "But all I want is to show mother that I can be as good as that annoying little pest!"

"Maybe if you weren't such a punk, maybe your mom would take notice of you…" Braun growled.

The two lions then came upon a young female lion cub who was tugging on a root. This was Vitani, the first cub who was born in the outlands. Braun was there at her birth, and he enjoyed her company rather than Nuka's. Vitani was the same, as she could tolerate Braun's sarcasm. However, it was Nuka she couldn't tolerate.

"Oh, hey Vitani…" said Nuka in a patronizing tone. "Where's the little termite, Kovu? The chosen one!" he then cut the root that Vitani was tugging on with his claw. This sent Vitani sprawling in the dirt while Nuka laughed like a hyena. Braun sat down and looked sourly and indignant on Nuka while Vitani recovered.

"Nuka! You were supposed to be watching him!" Vitani replied angrily as she walked over to the two lions. Braun decided, however, it would probably be best to be quiet, for the moment.

"Hey! Its every lion for himself!" Nuka spoke bitterly as he chewed on a root from the tree. He then began itching himself and said, "That little termite needs to learn to survive on his own…"

"Mother's going to be mad. She told you to watch him!" Vitani spat back with the same resentment.

"Oh, come on! Why does it have to be him?" Nuka then began rubbing up against a tree. "I'm the oldest, smartest, I was born first, and-" he then lost it. "AHHH! THESE TERMITES ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY!" He then began biting and itching himself everywhere.

"Is he always like this?" Braun asked Vitani as they watched this spectacle unfold.

"Yep…" Vitani replied, smirking. "And this is one of his good days."

"Have I ever told you were my favorite to hang out with?" asked Braun, smiling at the young cub.

"Many times." She returned with a sly smile.

"Good… very good…"

"I would be the greatest, if I was just given a chance!" Nuka spoke up as he dragged himself on the ground, scratching his rear.

"Maybe you should ask your Mom about that. That is, if you don't chicken out." said Braun.

"Oh, don't think I will!" Nuka spat back with indignation.

"Oh yeah?" said Vitani, chuckling a small bit. "Here's your chance."

Nuka instantly jumped up when he saw Zira approaching them with Kovu in her mouth. "Oh mother! Mother! Hi!" he gushed, his normally sarcastic demeanor now replaced with over-excitement. "I found some field mice for you while you were out! I left them in the den and-" he stopped when she passed by and ignored him.

"Wuss…" Braun hissed through clench teeth toward Nuka, who responded with a killer's look. He turned to Vitani and said with a smile, "Your mother's my cue to leave. I will see you later, Vitani."

"It was good to see you, Braun…" Vitani replied with the same smile.

Braun then ran off through the outlands when Zira came close. She dropped Kovu by Vitani, and then turned her fury onto Nuka. "You were supposed to be watching him!" she roared at wiry lion, who proceeded to crouch down in fright. "Don't you have any idea how important he is?!"

"It's not his fault!" Kovu yelled to his mother. "I ran off on my own!"

"And you!" Zira growled, turning around to face Kovu. "What were you doing with the children of Simba?!"

"I was-" Kovu was about to speak, but Zira cut him off.

"Who's our sworn enemy?!" Zira roared, causing Kovu to begin backing up in fear.

"Simba!" Kovu replied with fear in his voice.

"Who threw us out of the Pride Lands?!"

"Simba!"

"Don't you ever forget that!" Zira roared.

Kovu tripped and fell onto his back, his mother towering over him with fury in her eyes.

"I'm sorry mother…" said Kovu, sounding weak. "I didn't mean it… But they did seem nice… I just thought…"

"Oh, you thought!" said Zira with a patronizing tone. "What did you think?! That if you became friends with his children, Simba would welcome you with open arms?! That is just the most…" she then paused, letting the idea sink into her head. Then, an evil grin slipped onto her face and her tone changed. "That's a good idea…"

She then helped Kovu onto his feet. "You smart child…" she said, petting his back somewhat roughly. "That is a very good idea…"

"Yeah right…" Nuka muttered under his breath. However, Zira looked at him with rage in her eyes, and he cowered again.

Zira then picked up Kovu and brought him inside a large termite mound that could've been mistaken for a castle. She then placed her cub on a throne carved out of the termite mound.

"This is a good idea!" Zira spoke with a twinge of excitement in her voice, as she paced around the throne. "We have you become friends with Simba's children! Then, when Simba is distracted, we strike! We take the throne, and you, my son, will be the king of the Pride Lands!"

"But what if I don't want to be-" Kovu was about to say, until he was cut off by Zira.

"Don't even think that!" she roared with fury. She then went back to her composed self and said, "You will want to be king when you get older. That, I promise you…"

Zira then went out of the termite mound, letting her eyes focus on the sunset in front of her.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

That night, all the lions were asleep in the main hall of Pride Rock. That is, everyone except the main cub. Leo was awake, and the day's events were bothering him. Of course, Simba had forgiven him for what he did, but he forgave him in a grudging manner; It was almost as if he was forced to forgive him.

Leo, who was leaning against the entrance to Pride Rock, took a long look at his adopted parents and sister; they were asleep on a platform that was elevated from the main hall about a foot. Many thoughts were going through his head, and he couldn't go to sleep because of them. Why did Simba hate the outlanders with such a vengeance? Why was the leader of the outlanders so mean?

The questions pounded Leo's mind like a fist. They bothered him so much that he found himself walking out of the main hall, and out into the cool, night air. He then went down the ramp of Pride Rock and out into the grasslands. The moon shone in the sky like a midnight sun, so it was clear out there for him to see.

Leo soon came upon a watering hole near Pride Rock. Sometimes, In the morning or in the middle of the night, Simba would usually wake up and go to this watering hole to drink. Leo then kneeled and looked at himself in the water, his reflecting staring back at him. He tried to imagine what he would look like as a lion cub, but his mind kept coming back to Simba and the Outlanders. Angrily, he splashed his fist into the water with a loud yell. He stood there, breathing hard and angry.

"Leo?" a voice asked behind him. Leo turned around to see his mother standing there. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not alright…" Leo replied, getting off his knee, his voice filled with hurt. "Why does Pa hate me?"

"He doesn't hate you, Leo." said Nala gently as she approached him.

"You know it and I know it, Mom." Leo replied, but not in a harsh way. "I know why he hates me… I'm not a lion. If I were a lion, it would be different with him... I wish I was a lion… I wish you left me there to die!"

"Why do you wish that upon yourself?" Nala asked, now sounding hurt. "I love you, Leo. And you may not be like us, but you have a destiny. It may not be as Kiara's, and it is not like mine or your father's. If you had died before your time, your destiny would be incomplete. You die, and no one would know who you were."

Leo rubbed the back of his head and said in a quiet voice, "I never thought about it that way… I'm sorry."

Nala, with a smile, replied. "I forgive you."

She then leaned her head against Leo's shoulder, and Leo gently hugged his mother around her neck.

"I love you, Leo." said his Mother.

"I love you too, Mom." replied her Son.

When they pulled away from each other, they were silent for a few seconds.

"Can I ask another question?" Leo asked.

"Go ahead." Nala replied.

"Why do the outlanders hate Pa? And why does Pa hate them?"

Nala's expression changed to one of thought, and she began thinking of a way to reply to what Leo was asking. Then she replied, "Well, you know how we told you about Mufasa's brother, Scar?"

"Yes, I remember. He killed Mufasa and took over the Pride Lands."

"There was a group of lions that believed what Scar did was right. It didn't matter if he wasn't the true king or not, they followed him without question. When Scar was usurped by Simba and us, the loyal followers didn't get involved and just waited for the battle to end. After Scar's death, they ran away from Pride Rock and hid. Then, when we were recovering from the battle, they attacked. The great kings of the past helped us win that day, and the Outlanders were defeated."

"And that's when Pa banished them to the Outlands." said Leo.

"Yes. After that, a bitter rivalry developed between Simba and the Outlander's leader."

"Her name's Zira, right?" Leo asked.

"Yes." Nala replied. She then looked up into the sky. "It's very late. Come on; Let's go home."

Leo obeyed and walked beside his mother, stroking her back. When they neared Pride Rock, he asked, "Do you think Pa will ever accept me?"

"I don't know." Nala replied. "I honestly wish there was a way he could…"

Leo took the answer to heart and was quiet for a minute. Then, as they were going up the ramp to Pride Rock, an idea went through him like lightning!

"I got it!" Leo spoke in an excited tone. "I'll prove to him I'm a lion!"

"How will you do that?" Nala asked.

"I will train like a lion! Just you wait Mom! Pretty soon, I'll be able to match the other lions pound-for-pound!" Leo announced. "I'll be as fast, as strong, and as smart as a lion!"

"Alright, young lion." Nala said cheerfully. "It's time to sleep."

As she headed up the ramp, Leo let out a sigh of contentment and then followed his mother back to the main hall. Afterwards, they both fell asleep.

…

The next morning, Leo's training began. Whenever the lionesses went out for hunting, Leo would follow them from a short distance and watch what they do. Even though it was a gruesome thing to watch (and it resulted in Leo vomiting a couple of times), he still stayed focus.

For building up his strength, Leo started by climbing trees, rocks, and other things he came across. After he was done with that, he started lifting things. First, he started with small objects, such as small rocks and tree branches. He then moved on to bigger objects, like large rocks and dead trees. Pretty soon, he was strong enough to climb over things with no difficulty, and to lift large objects that were twice his size. This was extremely helpful, as he would go with the lionesses on hunts and haul in the animal carcasses.

For building up his speed, Leo would go running laps around the Pride Lands. Sometimes, he would run for so long that he would faint from exhaustion at different points. But still, he kept going and going, until he was faster than a cheetah.

For building up his smarts, Leo would study different advantages he would have for hunting. Sometimes he would hunt from trees, sometimes from the tall grass, and sometimes from an entirely different location than what was expected. Through this, he could become smart in finding new ways to hunt and to explore the Pride Lands.

…

 _11 years later…_

As the years went by, both Leo and Kiara grew. They had lost the prominent features of childhood and were now stepping into adulthood.

However, the threat of the Outlanders and of Braun was still floating around in their minds. Sometimes they were wondering what fate had come upon the cub Kovu for interacting with them. Both hoped that he wasn't dead, but sometimes fear would give them horrible thoughts. Some thoughts were that his mother killed him or downright left him for dead. And when they thought that, nothing more made them want to head to the Outlands and save them.

However, the thoughts faded away from Kiara's mind, as Simba taught her how to rule the Pride Lands. The thoughts also faded from Leo, as he continued to focus on his training to become like a lion.

…

One late afternoon, as Nala was lounging around in the den, she heard soft footsteps coming up from behind her. Suddenly, the footsteps stopped, and then-

"Don't even think about it." Nala spoke dryly, but in a good-natured way.

"Aw mom, how you did you know it was me?" asked 18-year-old Leo.

Leo had grown into a thin, yet muscular, young man. His jet-black hair had grown long and shaggy, like that of a lion's mane. He also was starting to grow a small bit of a beard. The only articles of clothing he wore at the time was a black loincloth.

"I know everything about you." Nala replied. "So where have you been all day?"

"I thought you said you knew everything." Leo said with a smirk, as he came around and sat in front of his mother.

"I know everything except where you've been all day."

Leo chuckled and replied, "I was looking for a good hunting place tomorrow."

"That's right; The big day's tomorrow!" Nala spoke, her tone cheerful. "Have you chosen your spot yet?"

"Yeah, I was thinking about the plains near the forest that borders the Pride Lands. There's a herd of water buffalo that roam out there, and they're gonna make a pretty tasty meal for all of us."

"That is a very good choice, Leo." Nala replied. "Tomorrow, you will prove that you truly are a lion."

Leo smiled, got up, and then out into the Pride Lands to do some scouting. Later, as the sun went down and the sky turned a dark blue, Simba, Kiara (who was also now older), Leo, and many of the other lionesses gathered in the main hall. Then, the royal family, their fellow lions, and Leo all went to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Meanwhile, while the Pride Lands slept, Rafiki was awake. He was in his tree at the center of the pride lands, painting over a drawing of two lions and a stick figure. He painted on a tree trunk with different colored powders mixed with mango juice.

"Oh Mufasa…" he spoke, his expression cheerful. "Da years have flown by so fast! Princess Kiara has grown into an attractive lioness, and soon, she will be a great leader over all of us!" He painted a blue sky over one of the lions, signifying that this was Kiara.

But then his expression grew solemn as he painted black hair on the stick figure, signifying that this was Leo. "But for Leo… as he grows older, his path tis clouded with mystery; his destiny tis still unknown."

He then painted a black mane over the other lion. "And Kovu… as he grows, Zira fills his heart and mind with hatred. I sense a darkness dat is the same as Scar…"

He stopped painting and then looked at the night sky, staring at the bright moon above him. "I don't know what to do, Mufasa. I am troubled." He said worriedly. The wind then blew somewhat harsh, causing Rafiki to ask, "You have a plan?"

Suddenly, a mango fell from where Rafiki kept his food. It hit the ground and split in two, causing Rafiki to gasp. "What?" he asked, picking up the two halves. He walked in front of the drawings of the two lions and slowly put the coconuts together. "Kovu… Kiara… together? Dis is your plan?"

Rafiki then threw down the mango and yelled out, "Are you completely insane?! Oh Mufasa, you've been up there too long, your head's in the clouds!"

Suddenly, the wind started blowing fiercely, causing Rafiki to change his tune. "Okay! Okay! Okay!" he yelled out, causing the wind to recede. "I trust you, but this plan is crazy to me! I hope you know what you are doing!"

The wind blew gently in reply, and then Rafiki said to sky, "But dare still is da question about what to do with Leo, huh?! What does da future have in store for him?"

The wind then blew again, and a pile of grapes fell onto the ground. A cherry then fell, hit the grapes, and then rolled out from the pile of them.

"Ah…" Rafiki replied, picking up the cherry. "He must find his true heritage... Da large metal bird dat fell…" He then looked to the sky, smiled, and said, "Thank you, Mufasa."

Rafiki, now sure of the future, then climbed into the canopy of the trees to sleep.

…

The next morning, out in the outlands, in the large termite mound, Zira paced around her son. No longer was there a young, nervous, frightful young cub. Now stood a hulking, villainous looking lion with a black mane, yellow eyes, and thick brown fur. An evil grin was spread wide on Zira's face.

"You are ready!" she said as she paced around. "Nice! Very nice! You have the same darkness in your heart that Scar had! What is your mission?!"

"I will avenge Scar, and take his place as king…" Kovu replied, his voice dark and filled with hate.

"Who is your enemy?!" Zira asked with zeal.

"Simba is my enemy!"

"And what… must you… do?!"

"I MUST KILL HIM!" roared Kovu.

The other outlanders roared in agreement to their future king. And in the shadows, Braun, Vitani, and Nuka left with missions of their own. The mission of Vitani and Nuka was to kill Kiara… and Braun's mission was to kill Leo!

…

Meanwhile, at Pride Rock, things were a lot more cheerful. Kiara and Leo were going out on their first hunt, and they were preparing to go out and be greeted by lionesses and other members of their Pride.

"I can believe this is it!" Leo said excitedly, as they stood and waited for Rafiki to direct them out of the lower cave. "We're going out on our first hunt! I can't wait! When I go out, I'm going to bring down a HUGE water-buffalo! Hey Kiara, what are you going after?" He then noticed his sister looked worried, and then calmed down. "Hey, are you alright?"

"I'm nervous." Kiara replied, looking over at Leo. "I've never done this before."

Leo looked at his lion sister and smiled. "Hey, don't worry; I'm just as nervous as you." He said calmly.

"You hide it very well…" Kiara said, smiling a little.

Leo chuckled at his sister's comment, and looked at her with love and respect. Kiara had grown into a stunning young lioness, albeit a little bit younger than Leo. She had her father's pelt, her mother's attractiveness and charm, and eyes that could be thoughtful at one point, then mischievous at another. Leo, personally, thought she was the prettiest creature on the earth.

Leo, as said before, had grown into a thin, yet muscular, young man. His jet-black hair had grown long and shaggy, like that of a lion's mane. He also was starting to grow a bit of a beard. Kiara thought of him as handsome, though she would never tell it to his face. Both siblings thought that would be weird if they told what they thought about each other's appearance.

They both were quiet for a minute, standing there and staring out into the light, when Kiara said, "Antelope…"

"What?" Leo asked, snapping out of his quietness.

"I'm going to bring down an antelope." Kiara replied.

"Good choice, my sister." Leo said. He then picked up a makeshift spear he created out of some wood, some vines, and a sharp piece of rock. "Well, are you ready?"

"Ready." Kiara replied with a smile.

They both came out of the cave, and a lioness called out, "There they are!"

Leo and Kiara walked towards Rafiki, who was sitting on a rock. He bowed in respect to both, and they returned the gesture. Kiara then moved towards her parents, and was greeted by encouragements and compliments by the other lionesses as she moved past them.

However, Rafiki put his arm out and kept Leo back. He then revealed a leather necklace that had a small craving of a lion on it. Leo put his head down, and Rafiki put it over his neck.

"Today, Leo…" Rafiki spoke, a grin on his face. "You become a lion…"

Leo smiled and replied, "Thank you, Rafiki."

He bowed, then made his way through the lionesses, who said positive words like "You can do it!" and "My, how've you grown!". He then came to his parents and Kiara, who was receiving a loving embrace from her mother.

"You'll do fine…" said Nala, as she pulled away from Kiara. "I know you will."

Kiara looked to her father and said, "Daddy… you have to promise me that you'll let me do this on my own. Okay?"

Simba was quiet for a few seconds and then replied, "Okay; I promise."

Kiara smiled and rubbed up affectionally against her father, who returned the embrace. Meanwhile, Timon and Pumbaa, who were watching from the side, burst out into tears. Zazu, who was standing beside them, shielded himself from their tears with his wings.

Leo walked over to his mother, and put his arms around her neck in a loving way. Nala rested her head on his shoulder.

"Wish me the best, mom." Leo spoke. He then pulled out from her embrace.

Nala licked him affectionally on the cheek and said, "I wish you the best, my son."

Leo then moved over to his father and said, "Well pop, I guess this is it. I hope that this makes you proud of me."

"You will make proud; I know you will." Simba replied.

"That's the best thing I've ever heard you say to me." Leo said with a smile.

Simba raised his front paw, and Leo put his hand against his paw. It was a friendly gesture, almost like shaking hands. He then pulled away and joined his sister. After looking back at their parents one last time, as they both smiled proudly, they went off into the savannah.

"Good luck Kiara!" yelled Leo, as he raced off in one direction. "I'll see you back at Pride Rock!"

"Same to you, Leo!" Kiara yelled back, racing off in the other direction.

Little did the two siblings know what they were going to be in for, and who they would end up meeting.

…

"Ugh; this place this even worse than when the hyenas were here…" muttered Nuka as he, Vitani, and Braun walked along the boiling pits. Nuka looked pretty much the same over the past few years.

"Oh jeez…" muttered Vitani, rolling her eyes as she held two wooden sticks in her mouth. She had now grown into a thin, scraggly looking lioness with a tuft of hair on her head, and a scowl on her face.

"I'm not scared, okay?" Nuka replied to the mutter as Vitani and Braun went down into the pits. When a pit shot hot steam into the air, Nuka let out a frightened yelp and followed the two lions.

"Admit it Nuka, you're wimping out on us!" Braun taunted, as Vitani placed the sticks near the boiling pit. Braun stilled looked the same also, but his mane was cut a little bit shorter.

"I'm not wimping out on you guys…" Nuka spoke, stretching in place. "I just wish that we didn't have to all the work, while Kovu goes gallivanting around." Suddenly, another boiling pit let out steam, and Nuka jumped. "I should've been giving the chance!"

As soon as Nuka yelled this out, a boiling pit behind him hit him in the rear with hot steam, sending him screaming over to a corner. Braun sneered while Vitani rolled her eyes with a look that said, 'Why me?'

Suddenly, the boiling pit that the sticks were set over let off steam, setting the two sticks on fire.

"That's it!" said Vitani with an evil smile. She picked up one of the burning sticks and said, "Well come on! Kiara has started her hunt! We have to set the fields ablaze!"

"You go and do that with 'jitters' here, my girl. I got more oppressing matters to attend to." Braun replied with a sneaky grin.

"Right." Vitani replied with a friendly smile. "Take care of yourself, Braun."

"I will." And with that, Braun ran out of the boiling pits and on his way.

As Vitani was heading out, Nuka, who was holding the other burning stick, looked into a boiling pit. It shot hot steam into his face, and he screamed out with a psychotic grin, "FIRE!"

He then raced out of the boiling pits to follow Vitani, and to act out the evil plan of Zira's.


End file.
